Formation of a metallic contact: jump to contact revisited

The transition from tunneling to metallic contact between two surfaces does not always involve a jump, but can be smooth. We have observed that the configuration and material composition of the electrodes before contact largely determine the presence or absence of a jump. Moreover, when jumps are fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2007-05, Vol.98 (20), p.206801-206801, Article 206801
Main Authors: Untiedt, C, Caturla, M J, Calvo, M R, Palacios, J J, Segers, R C, van Ruitenbeek, J M
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The transition from tunneling to metallic contact between two surfaces does not always involve a jump, but can be smooth. We have observed that the configuration and material composition of the electrodes before contact largely determine the presence or absence of a jump. Moreover, when jumps are found preferential values of conductance have been identified. Through a combination of experiments, molecular dynamics, and first-principles transport calculations these conductance values are identified with atomic contacts of either monomers, dimers, or double-bond contacts.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.98.206801